Every Christmas, a group of dedicated philanthropists, collectively known as the Organic Soup Kitchen, get together to serve up healthy, organic meals to the public, free of charge. Supported wholeheartedly by the Santa Barbara community at large, the kitchen is thriving and expanding its efforts across California. While the holiday meals are mainly geared towards the homeless, all are truly welcome.

This year’s event saw a huge turnout with over 200 people in attendance. The event was run by a core group of staff supported by a large team of volunteers who helped make the meals possible. Food was served on Be Green Packaging’s compostable and recyclable plates, cups, and containers which the company donates throughout the year in support of the Soup Kitchen’s missions/events.

The Soup Kitchen’s efforts are not limited solely to providing meals on the holidays. The organization also runs a number of programs that seek to educate and help low income/at-risk families. Find out more about their philanthropic efforts here.

Founder Anthony Carroccio is looking to expand the organizations efforts across Southern California by making the Organic Soup Kitchen concept mobile. He hopes to raise $40,000-$50,000 this year to purchase a truck to execute this concept.

“We want to get this process blueprinted so it works for everyone,” Carroccio said. “So it can be duplicated across the state of California and across the nation.”